Rumer Willis has shared a moving and deeply personal tribute to her father Bruce Willis, offering fans an emotional glimpse into her private grief as the Die Hard star continues his battle with frontotemporal dementia.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday 16 June to mark Father’s Day, the 36-year-old actress poured her heart into a powerful message that resonated with families around the world who are navigating similar challenges with a loved one.
‘Today is hard’
“Today is hard,” Rumer began candidly. “I feel a deep ache in my chest to talk to you and tell you everything I’m doing and what’s going on in my life.”
Accompanying her words were a series of touching family photos, including cherished moments from her childhood and a recent snapshot of Bruce cradling her two-year-old daughter, Louetta.
“To hug you and ask you about life and your stories and struggles and successes,” she continued. “I wish I asked you more questions while you could still tell me about it all.”
© Stefanie KeenanHer words suggest that Bruce, 69, is now struggling to communicate, a heartbreaking but expected symptom of frontotemporal dementia, a degenerative condition that affects behaviour, personality and language.
Holding on to what matters most
Despite the pain of watching her once fiercely articulate father lose his ability to speak freely, Rumer remained determined to embrace gratitude.
© Bruce Glikas“I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad today so I’ll try to just be grateful,” she wrote. “Reminding myself how lucky I am that you’re my dad and that you’re still with me.”
Her words painted a picture of a daughter doing her best to remain present and strong, even as the man who raised her slowly slips away from the world as she knew it.
“I can still hold you and hug you and kiss your cheek and rub your head,” she said. “I can tell you stories.”
A grandfather’s light
One of the most touching moments in Rumer’s tribute was her reflection on how Bruce lights up around his granddaughter, Louetta, Rumer’s first child with ex-partner Derek Richard Thomas.
“Your eyes light up when you see my daughter,” she shared. “I will be grateful for every moment I have with you.”
It’s a poignant reminder that even in the midst of memory loss and health decline, love still has a powerful way of breaking through, especially when children are involved.
“I love you so much Dad. Happy Father’s Day,” she concluded.
© InstagramA family united
Rumer’s post struck a chord not only because of her vulnerability, but because of the extraordinary bond she shares with her father, a bond that extends across a modern, blended family.
Bruce shares Rumer and her sisters Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, with his ex-wife Demi Moore, to whom he was married from 1987 to 2000. Despite their divorce, Bruce and Demi have remained close friends and devoted co-parents, a dynamic that has only strengthened in recent years.
Demi, now 61, is said to visit Bruce weekly, spending quiet time with him and his wife Emma Heming Willis, 46, who has taken on the role of full-time carer for the actor. Bruce and Emma, who wed in 2009, also share two young daughters: Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10.
A family facing dementia together
It was in 2022 that the world first learned Bruce had been diagnosed with aphasia — a condition that affects speech and communication. A year later, in 2023, his family confirmed that the actor had been further diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare and particularly cruel form of the disease that can affect both behaviour and language.
At the time, Emma, Demi and all five of Bruce’s daughters came together to release a joint statement, vowing to face the diagnosis “as a strong family unit” and pledging to raise awareness for the condition.
Emma has since become a tireless advocate, often sharing updates about the ‘monumental highs and devastating lows’ of their new reality. On her own social media platforms, she offers heartfelt advice and encouragement to others caring for loved ones with dementia, shining a light on a condition that is often misunderstood.
“Dementia is hard,” she said in a recent video post. “It’s not easy for the person living with it, and it’s not easy for the family. But love can carry you through the hardest days.”
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